Holyoke nearly entered the second half of play Friday night with a running clock as they led 40-6. With about 5:30 left in the third quarter, Bradley Cumming had a 28-yard touchdown run to push the Holyoke lead to 40 which began the running clock. The second half was short as the Dragons managed to keep Yuma from scoring to come away with the 46-6 win.

The Dragons won the toss but deferred the opening kick to the Indians, so it was the Dragon defense taking the field first.

After moving towards midfield, Brett Cumming picked off the Indian quarterback to set up the first scoring drive of the night for Holyoke.

Three plays later, the senior tailback ran in from the 18 yard line for the first time. A PAT attempt was no good.

Holyoke’s next score came with just under five minutes left in the opening period. Brett crossed the goal line for the second time—this time from 10 yards out. The Dragons’ two-point attempt was no good.

Holyoke got the ball back after Yuma turned it over on downs with just about two minutes left in the opening quarter. Brett Cumming took the handoff at his own 21 yard line and hustled 79 yards to pay dirt. Dylan Kotch added the two-point conversion giving the Dragons a 20-0 lead.

The Indians managed to get on the scoreboard on the ensuing kickoff. A squib kick got loose, throwing Holyoke’s kick coverage off a bit. Yuma’s Monty Veliz picked up the ball and returned it to the house for the visitors’ first points of the game. Holyoke blocked the PAT and led 20-6 with 1:46 left in the first quarter.

Holyoke began the next drive on its 42 yard line. After a three yard run by Kotch, TJ Gertner connected with Logan Tharp for a 30-yard bomb down to Yuma’s 25 yard line. From there, Bradley Cumming scampered into the end zone for a touchdown. Kotch ran in the two-point conversion, giving Holyoke a 28-6 advantage with under a minute left in the first quarter.

The Dragons increased the lead to 34-6 on the legs of Kotch in the second quarter. On a first down at the Yuma 42, Kotch busted loose for a 41-yard run down to the one yard line. From there he bulled his way into the end zone for his first touchdown of the night. Holyoke failed to convert the two-point conversion.

Two minutes later, Brett Cumming crossed the goal line for the fourth time after a 56-yard touchdown run. The two-point try was no good and with 4:16 left, Holyoke led 40-6.

The Dragon defense forced the Indians to punt, but Holyoke turned the ball back over on a fumble with just over two minutes left in the half.

Yuma turned the ball back over on downs and the Dragons managed to run out the clock.

“It was a great overall win for our offense and defense,” Zilla said.

On offense, Gertner only threw two balls—both of which were completed to Tharp. Yuma had a tough time stopping the Dragon running attack so that’s what Holyoke stuck with. Zilla said the Indians seemed to key in on Bradley which opened the door for Brett and Kotch who both ran for over 100 yards.

The junior varsity players saw a lot of playing time and Zilla was pleased with their effort as they continued to run the ball well and hold Yuma out of the end zone.

Holyoke will look to continue their winning streak Friday night at Max Bernard Field. Limon will show the Dragons a variety of formations.

Zilla said the team must take the remaining three games one game at a time. “We can’t overlook things,” he said. Even though Friday’s game is a non league bout, it is still important to show up and play hard—especially against a tough team like Limon.

“They attack the ball hard,” Zilla said of Limon. “The linebackers run down the field and attack hard. It’ll be a good test for both teams to see where we stand.”

Stats recorded

The Dragons rang up 473 yards of total offense during the Homecoming win over Yuma. Gertner was two for two throwing for 59 yards and no interceptions. Both of his throws went to Tharp.

On the ground, Holyoke chewed up 414 total yards. Brett Cumming led the team with 184 yards on nine carries. He also scored four touchdowns.

Kotch also went over the century mark with 107 yards on 11 carries. He had one touchdown and two two-point conversion runs.